The Rock Hole

Red River Mystery #1

by Reavis Z. Wortham, Traber Burns (Reader)

 

In 1964, farmer and part-time Constable Ned Parker combine forces with John Washington, the almost mythical black deputy sheriff from nearby Paris, to track down a disturbed individual who is rapidly becoming a threat to the entire small Texas community of Center Springs.  When Ned is summoned to a hot cornfield one morning to examine the remains of a tortured bird dog, he finds a dark presence in their quiet community. A farmer by trade, Ned is usually confident when it comes to handling moonshiners, drunks and domestic disputes. But the animal atrocities turn to murder, and the investigation spins beyond his abilities.  After a dizzying series of twists, eccentric characters and dead-ends, Ned’s friend, cranky Judge O.C. Rains, is forced to contact the FBI. Worse, sinister warnings that his family has been targeted by the killer lead Ned to the startling discovery that he knows the murderer very well. After the failed abduction of his precocious grandchildren Top and Pepper, the old lawman becomes judge and jury to end the murder spree in the Red River bottomlands. With a heart-pounding pace, country humor and a stunning climax speaks to the darkness in us all. In bald-headed pot-bellied Ned Parker, Wortham has created an authentic American hero who will put you in mind of the best heroes and antiheroes you’ve ever experienced. The year 1964 was the end of an era in Center Springs, and the climax may well shock your civilized sensibilities.  

 

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Crime, Thriller, Historical

294 pages, Hardcover

First published May 9, 2011

About the author

Reavis Z. Wortham retired in 2011 and now works harder than before as the author of the critically acclaimed Red River historical mystery series. Kirkus Reviews listed his first novel, The Rock Hole, as one of their Top 12 Mysteries of 2011. True West Magazine included Dark Places as one of 2015’s Top 12 Modern Westerns. The Providence Journal writes, “This year's Unraveled is a hidden gem of a book that reads like Craig Johnson's Longmire on steroids.” Wortham’s new high octane contemporary thriller from Kensington Publishing, Hawke's Prey, featuring Texas Ranger Sonny Hawke was released in June, 2017.

Reviews

[Kirsten Mattingly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reavis Wortham is an excellent writer. I could not put this book down and stayed up almost all night, listening to it on audiobook. I finished it in two days.

If I were judging it on the quality of the writing and the suspense factor alone, it would be an easy five stars. However, I knocked off a star because the subject matter was so hard to stomach. A lot of animals and people are tortured and mutilated, and it was very triggering for me and I’m sure it will be for a lot of other people as well. If you read this book, know yourself and your sensitivities.

Additionally, there was a big plot hole in my opinion about why the 10 year old narrator went to live with his grandparents, and that he apparently never went to school, but wasn’t homeschooled either. “Top” never thought about his parents at all and didn’t miss them or his friends or old life after being sent to live with his grandfather Ned, and Ned didn’t seem to have any concerns about what was going on with his son or daughter-in-law. I have a lot of questions about this.

The story takes place in rural Texas in 1964, so I did learn a lot about what life was like at that time and place. I appreciate that the author really brought that time and place to life very realistically. I’m sure it was highly accurate. I like how he put fitting colloquialisms in the dialogue.

I purchased this book on audible, and the narrator had a very pleasant sonorous voice. He did a great job with the inflection and pacing, but I would have liked for him to have sounded like he was from Texas.

This is the second book I have read by this author, and I will probably read more.

[Quenya · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I enjoyed a book so much. There were many times I laughed, cussed and yelled in the car while listening this to the book. Reavis Wortham has created a intense thriller wrapped up in a coming of age story.

The book starts straight away with the mystery that Constable Ned Parker is trying to solve before it gets out of hand. The book then eases into a great coming of age story for Ned’s grandson Top but the author just waits until your comfortable with this part and then whaps in you the face the intensity of the mystery again. There were many times I thought “What the Hell” as the author continually throws the story between thriller and sweet innocence of youth. There are many characters but that fits with the small town setting as everyone knows everyone else.

Reavis Wortham created small town Texas very well and every time I put the book on it felt like coming home. Being raised in small town Texas, I felt a connection to this book and was immediately drawn to the characters. The author did a great job describing the setting and really helping the reader to be immersed into 1960’s Texas.

Traber Burns had to voice a litany of characters and he did it smoothly. He was able to capture the innocence of youth, the strength of young adulthood and the weariness of old age. His Texas accent was spot on and with the authors words I was able to picture the characters in mind easily. Great narrator for this story.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1964, boy moves in with his grandparents in North Texas. The grandfather is a constable. Besides the usual casual law breaking going on, there's somebody cruelly killing animals,and they seem to have an animus toward the Constable's family.

Not bad, maybe a little too Ken Burns.

[Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Hoopla reading of this first book in this series of Wortham's Red River series. I can honestly say this may be my favorite crime-mystery book of 2017. I plan to continue the series with much anticipation that the remainder of the books in the series are 5* as well. I discovered Reavis Z. Wortham while looking through Hoopla for authors similar to my other western flavored crime-mystery books. So glad I found him. Traber Burns was excellent in his reading also.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a feeling that I was going to enjoy this first book in Reavis Z. Wortham's Red River mystery series, but I had no idea that I would love it and immediately go back to the bookstore to buy the rest of the series. As I read The Rock Hole, I was reminded of another perfect evocation of a time, a place, and the loss of innocence: William Kent Krueger's Ordinary Grace. Wortham's carefully chosen details, eccentric characters, and country humor transported me to a small town in Texas in 1964, and his lightning pace and deft plot kept me spellbound until I'd finished the book.

Roughly half the chapters are written in the first person point of view of ten-year-old Top. His adventures with his slightly older cousin Pepper ring with spirit, humor, and affection which makes the rapid erosion of these two children's innocence even more startling and painful. The rest of the chapters are in the third person from Ned Parker's point of view. This is where you get the bluntly accurate picture of life in this small Texas town with its racist sheriff and moonshiners who always seem to be a step ahead of the law. The portrait Wortham paints of this place and time isn't always funny or charming or pretty, but it's always true-- even if it sometimes puts his characters in a negative light.

Once I'd finished The Rock Hole, I had to wait for my heart to slow down, but one thing was certain: I'd fallen in love with Top and his grandparents and Pepper-- even with Center Springs itself-- and I simply had to have the rest of the Red River mysteries in my possession. Once you read The Rock Hole-- and believe me, you should-- I think you're going to feel the same way.

[✨Susan✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but it was not my favorite in the series. Top and Pepper continue to crack me up and can never resist putting themselves right in the middle of trouble.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like reading authors I have met! Mr. Wortham was the Director of Communications for GISD and came to speak about his books at Garland Retired. Since I grew up across the OK border from his setting on the Red River, I really enjoyed the trip back in time. I am a litte older than his protagonist, but I remember well many of the local color touches. I haven't heard terms like "hidey" or "I swanney" in years. I also remember biting the tops off a wax cola bottle to drink the flavored syrup inside. The murder mystery is good too. Love the characters of Top and Pepper, the two kids who follow their constable Grandpa through the bottoms of the river. Since the library had both the Wortham books on the new shelf, I'm on to the next one.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, and I was thrilled that our book club had the chance to both meet the author before we read it and then discussed the book with him via Skype at our last meeting. What a treat!

[Ronna · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE ROCK HOLE is an unusual combination of old time Texas humor and chilling thriller. The year is 1964, and these small communities are mostly segregated by white, black, and American Indians. Ned Parker is the white Constable, who is married to an Indian; best friends with the Black Deputy Sheriff, John Washington; uncle to Cody, a brave Vietnam war veteran; and forever friend of an old codger, Judge O. C.Rains. After a car crash killed his parents, ten year old Top, has come to live with his grandparents. Pepper, Top's ten year old tomboy cousin, spends most of her time at their house also.

Though a Constable, Ned really considers himself a farmer, who from time to time, finds himself dealing with drunks, bootleggers, and fighting families. But a new evil has entered his community. Someone is viciously mutilating animals, and he seems to be escalating his violence. The communities in Texas and near by Oklahoma are affected. The chase is on to catch this person who also seems to have a grudge against Ned and his family.

This story is populated by wonderfully fleshed out characters, with a feeling of story telling that reminds me of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and A TIME TO KILL. The atmospheric descriptions took me right back to the good and bad times of the 1960s. It reads like a combination of small town community, and good old fashioned westerns. Great mystery, but feels like literature at it's finest. Great start to this series!

[CC. Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1960's post-Vietnam in a small border community of Texas and Oklahoma, this book had more depth than I am used in a mystery. Usually, even with graphic, gritty mysteries, I can allow my mind to simply skip along and not have to worry too much about characterization or intricate plot twists. Not so with this selection.

An animal mutilator and torturer is on the loose. It's simply a matter of time before his victims turn to humans. Aging Constable Ned is afraid the killer is a member of his close-knit community. When his grandson Top comes to stay, the killer starts to target Ned's family. Ned has to start relying on more than his experience and traditional ways of crime-solving if he wants to stop the next strike.

The plot of this story rolls along like the Red River described in the book, winding to a surprising and satisfying climax. The vernacular is well-done and really adds to the story. It is told from different points of view ranging from an elderly grandfather to a 10-year old grandson and had me searching for clues in all their thoughts and speeches.

It isn't your typical mystery. If you're ready for a complex story about complex lives, look no further. I shall certainly be checking out Reavis Wortham's other books.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read a couple of the later entries in this series and decided that perhaps I should go back to the beginning. This book was the first in the Red River mysteries series.

The events of the book take place in 1964 in East Texas, a time and place when racial tensions were a prominent part of everyday life. We meet Constable Ned Parker who is White and a Black deputy sheriff named John Washington. The two work together to deliver justice and to protect their community from evil.

In this case, this evil is exemplified by an individual who takes pleasure in torturing and killing animals. Of course, he doesn't stop there. He soon moves on to humans and the killer seems to be targeting the constable's family which includes his ten-year-old grandson Top who is now living with him after the death of his parents in a car crash. The story of the investigation is told mostly through the perspective of Top and his slightly older cousin, Pepper.

This is very different from the kinds of cases which the constable normally handles. He's used to dealing with drunks and moonshiners and the occasional domestic disturbance. This is an entirely different level of evil.

Woven in among the pursuit of the evil-doer is the story of the coming-of-age of Top and Pepper. Thus we get the contrast of their sweet innocence with the pure wickedness of which humans are capable.

Perhaps the strongest part of the story for me was the author's description of the setting. I'm pretty familiar with small East Texas towns and I found his descriptions of the culture of those places to be spot on. Moreover, the characters as he described them fit right into that setting. It's a community that is replete with small-town Western values, where everyone knows everyone and neighbors will look out for their neighbors. While the writer does tend to somewhat gloss over the racial tensions of that era, I think he gets the overall atmosphere pretty much right. And his characters are people that the reader can identify with and care about. This was a good start for the series and it left me wanting to read more about these people.

[Byron Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rock Hole is a marvelous story of family, community, love and evil. Set in the 60’s, in rural Texas, we watch a wonderful relationship between Grandpa Ned Parker, farmer, pillar of the community, and part time constable and his 10 year old grandson Top. We share the love they share and learn about the citizens of a small Texas town: Center Springs. We also watch as a budding serial killer unfolds and his acts of evil and terror escalate first on small animals and then larger animals and ultimately to humans. We see the commitment of the law enforcement community as they begin to realize the threat that is hunting in their community and the Parker family. The book is filled with great characters. The plot is well conceived and as it unfolds we are captured by the tension and mounting urgency. This is a great read.

[Sydney Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some really good moments and also was a great nostalgic trip. I liked all the characters, but especially liked Top's voice. I thought the mystery was well done, too, with just enough red herrings. I did find a number of typos, but it wasn't too distracting. Glad for a small press like the Poisoned Pen to publish works like these -- I'm SO bored with the top ten list big names that just crank out the same books with different titles. Rock Hole has some magic to it. I think it would make a great audio book, too.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second book in this series was recommended to me, but I like to start at the beginning of things so I picked this one up. I will not be reading the second one..with a new POV every chapter, sometimes in 1st person (as Top) but mostly in 3rd, and some characters getting only a chapter or two to call their own, the writing style is disjointed. I also felt like Wortham had to convince me (and himself) too much that Ned's family was color-blind when it came to race relations. The actual mystery was only "eh".

[CW · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very impressed with this novel written by Reavis Wortham. The novel is set in Northeast Texas during 1964. At times, The Rock Hole is a suspenseful novel that keeps you on the edge of you seat and at other times has you laughing out loud. I thought he was spot on with his portrayal of small town life in Texas. The daily activities of the characters in the book made me reminisce about my own childhood in rural Texas. This book was everything I expected and more. I anxiously await a second novel by Mr. Wortham.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the writing and the story was excellent. I want to read another one.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book. I gave up on it after listening to the audio version for a couple of hours. The characters and the small town are all too cardboard cut-out for me.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last as I loved.
It kept me on the edge till the end even if it made laugh at times.
I loved the contrast between the idyllic life of the small town and evil in action. The multiple POVs helped to see different sides of the story and loved Top.
A tightly knitted plot, excellent character development and storytelling, a solid mystery.
I can't wait to read another book in this series, this one i strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, it got a little slow in the the middle and I didn't care for some of the content, but I'm going to keep going with the next one.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an electronic copy of this novel at a discounted price through a Sourcebook Discount. Thank you, Sourcebook, Reavis Z. Wortham, and publisher Poisoned Pen Press for sharing your hard work with me. This has been on my want-to-read shelf after reading reviews of the first edition in about 2013, with another bump added in 2017. I will again approach my library to ask them to include this series in our western section. Reavis Z. Wortham writes a clear, unvarnished look at the southwest in 1964. This is a series I would like all my friends and family to read. We have come a long way... and have lost some things along the way, as well.

Featuring several small communities in Lamar County, Texas, laying against the Red River which marks the Texas border to Oklahoma, Wortham brings us a picture-perfect look at life in the southwestern reaches of the United States in 1964. There was growing anxiety about the Vietnam War, racial tension between whites, blacks, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans, poverty becoming extreme poverty driven by the economy. Wortham has the nuances and sense of distrust between these many factions down pat. And all the little delicacies we now take for granted were unknown in the southwest. Fast food. Pop tops on beer. Soft drinks in cans. Clean water in taps and bottles. Television reception. Shoot, color television was rarely seen in those days. We lived much closer to nature back then. The available fruits and vegetables were seasonal and mostly locally grown. But even in the 1950s I can remember piles of bananas. The hunters in most families provided meat for part of their protein needs. Deer and wild pigs in season and dove, quail, and rabbits most of the year. The larger family usually bought beef and pork on the hoof and had it butchered to suit their needs. The kids in The Rock Hole often hunt with Uncle Cody. Cody is a recent Vietnam Vet, Choctaw, and the black sheep of the family. Beloved by the kids, he is their conduit to the adults and law of the community. And everybody has a hound. Our boy Top has just gotten his first puppy, Hootie, rescued from a Brittany Spaniel breeder because its father was unknown.

Ned Parker is the Constable of Precinct 3, Center Springs, Lamar County, Texas. He is also a cotton farmer. His wife, Miss Becky, is First American. Son James runs the hardware store in town and is the father of Pepper, a tomboy about nine and a pistol, who often stays with Ned and Becky, especially now that their newly orphaned grandson Top has come to live with them. He is ten and has spent enough summer times in the past at his grandparent's farm in Center Springs to know everyone and all the places he and Pepper like to wander and play.

John Washington is the Black deputy sheriff, covering problems and crimes across the tracks. O. C. Rains is the local judge who carries a lot of weight in the policing of their community.

Someone is torturing and skinning animals. Most are hung in view on the top strand of barbed wire fences. It must be someone in the community. And the frequency of these atrocities is increasing, the size of the victims growing. After they found the goat, the police fear for the community's children. Nobody is safe. And all these separate factions of peacekeepers and citizens will have to work together to find the perpetrator.

Reviewed on November 12, 2021, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, Kobo, and GooglePlay.

[ShirleyS · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the small town characters and humor in this story. Some parts got a little too grisly for me but all in all a good read.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to the writings of Reavis Z. Wortham after reading an interview the author gave and a book review of the Rock Hole. I am very glad that I read the two articles as I then purchased The Rock Hole. There is much to like about The Rock Hole.

It takes the reader back to the summer of 1964 in north east Texas close to the Oklahoma border. The book was quite atmospheric for me. I could visualize the scenes and the locations. I could feel the heat, the dust, the rain and the wind. That was due to the skill of the author. When I read they were using a can opener for beer cans in 1964, it took me back as I had not thought about that for awhile. A younger reader has grown up with pop top cans.

There is a strong sense of family and love in the book which is opposite the evil that has arrived in Latham County. Constable Ned Parker feels the animal killings will escalate to children. His family seems to be targeted. His 10 years old grandson Top has come to live with him. Pepper who is Top's slightly older cousin is often at the Parker house. Ned Parker knows that the person is someone he knows. He worries about being able to find the person and stop the carnage. One can see how it frustrates him as he is use to drunks, moonshiners and breaking up fights.

It was an very good read. The location, the time, the characters, the writing, and the plot made this book very memorable.
I am looking forward to reading Burrows the next book in the series which is a return to Center Springs in the aftermath of this book.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gem of a book! Poisoned Pen Press has discovered a new author whose writing is a delight. Set in 1964 on the banks of the Red River on the Texas Oklahoma border this historical mystery keeps you turning the pages. The author, Reavis Wortham, takes the reader back to a time that was not that long ago but in many ways was. American society has completely changed in the past fifty years. It is a reminder to us all that fifty years ago a person of color could not enter any business that they wanted to in the American south. There were unsaid divisions that existed in businesses, in churches, and well pretty much everywhere you can imagine. It is against this back drop that this fully captivating novel takes place.

Our main character, Constable Ned Parker knows what is happening: "Staring glumly at his coffee, sadness and the futility of a lawman in a changing society swamped the man who only wanted to do the right thing." And Ned does want to always do the right thing and that is what makes him a great hero. And his grandson Top is so lucky to have him, his grandmother Miss Becky and their extended family. An extended family that is being hunted and haunted by a dark sinister force that is always nearby but invisible to them. I wanted to finish the book to find out what the conclusions would be but at the same time I didn't want the book to end!

I highly recommend this refreshing novel that debuts in June. Pre-order a copy...it's worth it!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rock Hole is a mystery set in north Texas in a community bordering the Red River. The time is 1964 and Top, a ten-year-old boy who has been sent to live with his grandparents, is the narrator of the story. Ned, Top's grandfather,is the constable of this small community and has been concerned about a series of animal mutilations which could only have been committed by a sadistic individual.
Thrown into the mix is a young Indian boy, Top's girl cousin, Pepper, and a whole cast of rural characters, both good and bad and psychotic. Things grow ugly when the killer seems to be targeting Top and his extended family.
This a fast, fun read with a look back to a time when the country was going through social change. Viet Nam, the Beatles, and drug abuse were beginning to impact every segment of our society even the small town farming communities of rural America.
Reavis Wortham draws on his Texas background to create the setting and characters. I'm looking forward to reading his next book in the series.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a GREAT Mystery novel! With the setting on the Red River bottomlands of the border with Oklahoma, this story is full of the people and the lore of deep East Texas in the 60s; the setting being the main character. The people of this region, black & white, young & old, are all fully and deeply envisioned. The core mystery surrounds a series of animal carcasses and the search for a deranged person nicknamed "The Skinner". Chilling, this story will pull you through to the end and scare the bejabbers out of you. Must Read - 5 Stars.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the beginning I didn't think I would like this book. I don't know if it was the narration, the slow pace, the time-period. Something just didn't appeal to me. I was pretty sure that listening to this would be a chore but then a funny thing happened: I started being more and more interested in it. "Shit Fire", what do you know? I liked the characters, I was trying to figure out who "The Skinner" was, I liked the historical rural aspect. In the end, I found this to be a very enjoyable book and I'm going to look further into the series. So glad I gave this one a chance.

[Ron Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best mystery I've read in years. Given my rural tastes it won't be for everybody but if you liked Winter's Bone, I think you'll like this. Poisoned Pen Press should be congratulated for publishing it. Reavis Wortham has done for rural Texas in the '60s what Daniel Woodrell has done for the
Ozarks, blemishes and ignorance, honor and loyalty. Goodreads should be shot, however for
this annoying pop-up ad that makes it almost impossible to write this.

[Danielle Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met this author over the weekend and picked up his book. I'm excited to start reading it! I also got my book autographed :)

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a couple of chapters to really get into it but I really enjoyed the plot and the characeters. I even had a couple heart-racing moments! I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a new author and a good murder mystery! :)

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, I think the narrator may have contributed to my 2 star review. As a previous reviewer stated, the author is constantly going back & forth between characters point of view's/reference, yet the narrator sounded the almost the same for all the characters. So it was quite confusing who was speaking and therefore made it difficult to follow.
Besides that, I thought it was quite boring. Very slow.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This area in Texas is where my parents grew up.
The names of the little towns are real, like Blossom
and Hugo, I know well. I remember the stories of the
wild boar hunts. It was interesting the sheriff of the town
being protective of his part Indian wife since I am part Cherokee.
I don't know if someone not familiar with the area would
like it as much as I did.